


But Nobody Came

by choucobos



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Undertale AU, Undertale Spoilers, but anyways have a monster shaped hole for your monster shaped heart, everyone's either hella bummed out, implied depression, or confused but ok, there's not really any in between lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-02 12:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5248760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/choucobos/pseuds/choucobos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For some reason, you feel as if something is MISSING.</p>
            </blockquote>





	But Nobody Came

**Author's Note:**

> hey, hey, here's an au where frisk doesn't fall down into the underground and the monsters are left restless. kinda angsty + has spoilers sort of. don't say i didn't warn you, heh.

Loneliness. It intensified with each passing day. Toriel would open her tired eyes every morning, wondering why she was still there in the Ruins. What was she waiting for? There were no more fallen children. She'd let them slip past anyway, so what was the point? She was never strong enough, too undetermined. The constant ache of her dead children reminded her she was still unfortunately alive. How melancholy.

On a particular day, she couldn't help but feel emptier than ever. There was something **_missing_** in her life, and she knew it wasn't just the fallen children, or her own. Toriel had to drag herself out of bed, dress herself, feed herself. She looked around her cozy home, spitefully thinking,  _how boring this place is_. She'd long since lost count of how long she'd been in the ruins, waiting for something to come and free her. Just like  _he_ planned. _  
_

Wistfully, she left her home and wandered the ruins, as if expecting something. She went to the very back, her legs acting on their own. Her deep purple robe swished around her as she walked subconsciously, tracing patterns on the walls of the Ruins as she went. She could not even bring herself to glare at the Froggits or Migosps who dared to bring themselves near. The monsters murmured amongst themselves, wondering aloud why the Queen was so particularly upset today.

She paid them no heed. Her feet took her to a certain place that made her heart ache terribly. The light from the surface shone perfectly down onto a bed of golden flowers, her personal favorite. She picked a few once, and felt scandalous afterwards.

Toriel knelt down next to the bed, her hands in her lap. She caressed the golden petals forlornly, receiving a feeling that wasn't quite just right. The constant feeling of someone  ** _missing_**. But who, besides the _determined_  child who loved the golden flowers so? Who, besides the child who was _patient_ with her in all the right ways? Who, besides the child audacious one, who _braved_ the puzzles that Underground had to offer? Who, besides the _honest_ child, who danced through the Ruins with grace? Who, besides the child who _persevered_ through the Underground as much as they could? Who, besides the child that warmed her heart to the fullest it could be with their  _kindness_? Who, besides the child who simply wanted the  _justice_ they wanted? Who, besides the children she loved so dearly with all her  _soul_?

The tears fell before she knew they existed, and she was startled with the sight of them. The monsters were startled with the sight of them. Their heart was moved with the Queen's sorrow, and quietly, they cried with her, weeping for a soul never come.

" _Oh, my child... How I long for your presence..._ "

Emptiness. Though the cheerful town was filled with optimistic monsters, they were restless. Two skeletons, residing in Snowdin to guard the cold town from a human if one ever passed by, grew uneasy. The older one, Sans, in particular was incredibly confused and felt as if someone was  _ **missing**_. He watched as his brother became discouraged as another day passed, finding that no human had passed by.

"Sans," he once whispered. "I do not believe I will make it to the Royal Guard."

"C'mon, Pap, don't say that." Sans attempted reasoning. The taller skeleton, however, merely shook his head and gave his dearest brother a sad smile.

And so the days came and went. Papyrus would always pretend that the conversation never, ever happened, and go on about in his merry way, checking his clever traps and puzzles, preparing them for a day, when a human would finally come. Sans would sit behind his post, a million things running through his mind. An important date was coming up, yet he didn't know the occasion. The fact annoyed him, yet the solution was simply  _ **missing**_.

When the certain date fell upon the Underground, Sans held his breath. Was it an unforeseeable reckoning that he hadn't calculated? Was it an accident to occur? Or a blessing to take place? Was it... No. A human had not fallen in the longest time here.

Yet Sans found himself wandering to the Ruins entrance. It had been always closed, but recently, he'd heard a voice through it. A voice of a kind lady who enjoyed puns as much as he did. His seemingly-permanent grin widened, actually excited to crack some jokes to a lady he didn't know through a door that never opened.

"Knock, knock," he called through, smiling. **_But no one_ **_**came**_.

Beads of sweat rolled down the smooth surface of his skull. Where was the lady? No matter. The show had to go on. A child had showed him that once.

"Uh... Heh... Theodore."

The silence persisted, and his sweating grew.

"The, uh... Theodore wasn't, uh, open, so I knocked."

 _ **But no one** **came**_.

He grimaced, the perpetual smile still on his face. It seemed the lady was busy. No matter, he'd just head to his post like usual. The short monster stuffed his skeletal hands into his parka's pockets and shuffled through the snow, frowning. The cold seemed to seep in a bit more than usual as unease settled in. He'd visit later.

Papyrus scrambled all over Snowdin, making preparations.  _Preparations for what_? He didn't know exactly, but he felt the need to recalibrate each and every one of his puzzles, check to see if they were working, double check them, and wait for a human that would never come. There was anticipation that rattled his bones ( a pun he'd think about later and then groan about ) that he couldn't simply explain. He was waiting for something that he didn't know what could be. It felt like he'd been waiting all his life.

But the day passed. He berated his brother for slacking off ( oddly enough, he seemed to be incredibly uncomfortable about something ), recalibrated his puzzles at least five times, and played with the monster children in Snowdin to pass time. He kept checking the paths in Snowdin -  _all of them_ \- to see if something had come.  _ **But no one** **came**_. **  
**

He sighed to himself, dragging his feet through the snow. The Nice Cream Vendor seemed bummed out about something, but he didn't feel like eating Nice Cream that day ( and he never really could find a time to grab one ). Not one trap captured him the human he so needed to have to impress Undyne once and for all. Not one gave him the reassurance that he wasn't a total  _failure_.

At this rate, he would  _never_ make it to the Royal Guard like he so passionately dreamed about. And anyway, was it what he  _truly_ wanted? The fame, the fortune, the  _friends_? Would they really be  _true_? Ironically, with every passing day, Papyrus doubted it more and more. As he rubbed his cold face with a red-gloved hand, he felt miserable for a fantasy that even he realized was too good to be true. There was not one real friend he had besides his own brother and Undyne, but he felt like he needed someone more. The someone who'd been  **missing** from his life. With the very thought, he felt his cheek bones heat up in shame, and he tried to rub off the orange that was painted on his skull. He couldn't be selfish. He had all the people he could ever appreciate in his life - Sans and Undyne. He needn't complain.

Yet with the wistful thought of another friend, he couldn't help but sigh and lean against a tree, watching for a human that would never come.

The shorter skeleton visited the closed door once more, a nervous feeling settling into his bones. He tentatively approached it, wondering if the lady would be back. Surely she would - it'd been an entire day. It was close to nighttime, where he'd go home and crawl into bed.

"Knock, knock," he called through the door. No one answered. The lady still wasn't there, huh? He supposed it didn't matter - there'd be other times to talk to her.

As he made his way home, a empty feeling grew in his ( non-existent ) gut. There was something wrong, this wasn't  _right_. This isn't supposed to happen, but  _what's wrong_? He glared at the snow below him, willing it to tell him the answer to a riddle that no one asked him. He wracked his brain for anything that could be off today. But all he found odd was the feeling of something  **missing**. He turned back to the closed door, sighing.

" _Dunno who or what you are. But where exactly are you? It feels like we could all really use you right now._ "

Undyne stormed through the Waterfalls impatiently. Normally, the calming sounds of water rushing down to who knows where would calm her down, but they did not soothe her.  _Something_ was supposed to happen  _today_ , yet nothing did. She'd been antsy all day today, with no particular reason why. She'd clutched her spears tight, throwing one at every rustle of a bush and finding no target besides a small, annoying dog.

She glared at her armored hands as they demolished a cup of tea that she'd stopped at her house for. She didn't plan on staying a while - what if a human came by?

 _Human_. God, she  _hated_ that word and species with a passion.  _They_ were the reason that she and every other monster were trapped in the damn Underground. A human hadn't passed by in a while, and she so wished to find one and  _tear it apart_ , just so she could finally be free. So _all_ of monsterkind would be finally  _free_.

He, ASGORE, had collected six souls so far. Seven was the requirement so that he'd become a god and destroy the barrier and all of the humans behind it.  _ **All of** **humankind**_. They deserved it, the beasts, for trapping them down there for so long. Undyne made sure to do everything in her power to take down every human that came down to the Underground. Now, she -  _they_ were so close to the freedom they so deserved and the demise that would be brought upon the humans.

As she cleaned up her mess, she sighed. She felt so  _exhausted_ , honestly. Sure, being head of the Royal Guard was great - she could show off the strength she'd worked so hard for and she'd have admirers. But the endless rush she felt left her feeling drained every time. And there was constant buzzing in her head that made her feel particularly restless. Not to mention, there was still the impatience for a human that was, well,  **missing**. This wouldn't do. She was too tired to keep going. She entered her room and took her armor off, the weight of them on her shoulders too much to bear. She sighed at the loss of weight and felt relief.

Undyne figured a small day off would do her good. Fatigue would be terrible in battle - she had to be ready if a human ever came. As she decided that she'd have a day off, ironically, she felt as if a huge burden was lifted from her shoulders.

Yet even as she relaxed at her piano, her scaly fingers traipsing over the worn keys, the buzzing still remained in her head. She scowled whenever she missed a certain note of her favorite song and soon, she slipped up so much, she gave a yell in anger and stood up abruptly.  _Normally_ , the relaxing tune of the piano which she regarded as a close friend would calm her down and soothe her.  _Normally_ , she'd not be partaking in a petty day off.  _Normally_ , she would be  _bashing in the heads of humans_ , but it was not a normal day today! The thought frustrated her to an extent where she slammed her fist through the wall, punching a hole right through it. She breathed heavily and stomped into her room to adorn her armor once more. She snatched the glowing blue spear from the wall and rushed out of her house. Today was not a normal day. Today, a human was  **missing** and she could no longer wait to find another. She'd cross the barrier if she had to. She would destroy humankind herself.

" _Where are you, you selfish human? Don't you see... You're trapping us **down here**?_ "

Alphys hummed busily over Mettaton's body. It was nice to have something to do to distract herself from... Worse matters.

The single thought caused her to drop a portion of Mettaton's metal plating. She sighed irritably as bent down to pick it up and make sure there was no damages to it. She couldn't think of them,  _not now_.  _Not ever_. She shook her lizardine head and sighed once more.

She fitted in the metal plating and turned Mettaton back on. The robot came to life immediately, much to the scientist's delight. She smiled at her creation.

"How are you feeling, Mettaton?" She asked gently.

"More or less the same, Doc." He replied. "Are you sure you've upgraded me?"

"No doubt about it," she confirmed. "I know being a star is your dream, but... We need one more soul to leave this hellhole. So I thought I could add a bit of programming that, y'know. Makes you into sort of a little human-hunter."

She smiled sheepishly at the rectangular robot, and look down, a wistful smile lingering on her face. She stared at her claws through her dirty glasses, thinking about her mistakes. Soon, the smile disappeared and Mettaton was quick to notice.

"Doc?"

"Do you feel as if something's  **missing**?" She asked suddenly, looking up at the robot. The expression on her features was so  _melancholy_ and full of tire all of a sudden that it seemed to surprise the robot. He'd not noticed it much before, but there seemed to be more than exhaustion in the behavior of the good scientist. She seemed so depressed and afraid of something he didn't know. Alphys seemed so  _fragile_.

"...No. Is there something missing, Alphys?"

"..."

She did not answer. She merely looked away and sighed before shaking her head, no. Mettaton knew her too well to know she was lying. But he wouldn't push. Perhaps it would make her feel only worse. He gave an audible sigh and lead the good doctor up to her room. What the doctor needed was rest and relaxation. Something that would make her feel better, so as to forget her troubles.

"Mettaton?" She wondered aloud curiously.

"What you need is no more work," he spoke sternly. "You're going to relax all day today, Doc, and I mean it. Mew Mew Kissy Cutie all night long, you hear me?"

The lizardine monster only smiled and laughed, and albeit the emptiness of the harrowing laugh, Mettaton loosened up. The Royal Scientist sat with the robot on a couch, watching her favorite anime together so as to forget her troubles, just for a bit. Even though her troubles were literally right below her, she pushed them down further, just for tonight. Mettaton was right. Despite the lack of someone important, she enjoyed the night with one of the closest friends she had.

" _Tonight, I'll forget my troubles._ " _  
_

Another day had passed and ASGORE had dragged himself through it. It was exhausting to put up a facade of bravery and confidence when deep down inside, he was just a tired, old monster, wishing for a rest. He'd lost his children so long ago, and his dearest wife soon after. They left behind a feeling of emptiness that echoed throughout his grand, yet vacant palace.

He rubbed his face with furred paws, weariness sewn in the seems of his very being. ASGORE sighed heavily and rose from his golden palace. He looked down upon the golden flowers which flourished in his throne room. They were his favorite, reminding him of the charming child he so once loved. A familiar pang of pain struck him in his soul and he slowly blinked, staring at the forsaken, golden flowers. He shook his head and walked out of his throne room.

He was an old monster after all, and every day brought even more exhaustion. The figurative mask he was required to wear every single day was becoming much more of a burden to bear, and he wondered when it would all finally stop. Would relief come peacefully in the night? Would it come with a reluctant struggle? ( Really, the hesitation would only be from him. )

As he walked through the gray halls of his home, he cried.

At first, he did not know the tears had begun to fall. When he realized he was crying, he simply wept, not much caring for how childish it was. He wept in the middle of the halls, sobbing for Toriel, for Asriel, and for Chara. He bawled like a  _child_ in the midst of his overwhelming power. Why had he done such actions to innocent humans? Surely there could have been other ways to free the monsters from the Underground. Yet he chose to be a monster and soon his wife left him in a pit of his sorrows.

ASGORE dragged himself to his home, to his room, and to his bed. He laid down and wept some more, wave after wave of accumulated sorrow washing over him.

" _I am a being of mistakes, and I shall bear my cross with regret. Please, human. Please relieve me of my sorrows._ "

**Author's Note:**

> i'll admit that by the time i got to alphys, i was losing motivation.
> 
> uh, hope this short fic was sad and i hope you cried, lmao. feedback is appreciated !!
> 
> angst is one of the things i'm workin' on, so if there's any tips or advice for me out there, it'd be appreciated if it was given! :^)


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